As the leader in the global court reporting industry, Planet Depos is always looking to expand its geographical reach. Earlier this year, we conducted an international deposition in Cape Town, South Africa.
“This is the first deposition we’ve done in Cape Town specifically, although we did some depositions in Johannesburg a number of years ago,” says Meredith Weisel, senior scheduling manager. “While depositions in South Africa are few and far between, there is always the potential for more!”
International Realtime Court Reporter Ana Gallegos and Videographer Joseph Viner traveled from Europe to South Africa to attend the deposition in person, while Technician Linda Fleet attended remotely via Zoom. Gallegos has been reporting for over 30 years, spending the last half decade focused exclusively on international work.
“My last five years of international work have been the most challenging and exciting in my career,” says Gallegos. “It is always an adventure, but it’s imperative to work with an agency like Planet Depos who understands the challenges of working around the world. I have complete trust that my jobs with PD will run smoothly, my videographer will be very professional and I will never have to worry about anything other than my transcripts.”
While we don’t currently have any local liaisons in South Africa like we do in other countries, like Japan and South Korea, our international team is committed to doing any research necessary to help prepare court reporters and other staff as much as possible. This ensures we’re able to offer our impeccable, best-in-class service no matter where a deposition takes place!
“The international team arranged for all required resources and services, while gathering necessary information and details from the client to make sure the deposition ran smoothly,” says Weisel. “Our tech support team arranged and distributed the Zoom meeting link for the remote participants and our videographer set-up the Zoom connection on-site in South Africa while another technician facilitated things remotely.”
So how does this differ from standard, domestic depositions? In short, it really doesn’t.
“We can make anything happen with depositions taking place internationally, just like we can with depositions in the U.S.,” says Weisel. “Whether you need a reporter, videographer, interpreter or technician, we can make it happen! It will just require a bit more travel, that’s all.”
Do you have an upcoming international deposition? Schedule online with us and let us Make It Happen for you!